[PRP] flowers and honey (Stargazer, Ruche, Ranger & Enoch)

[one over three]

Stargazer stretched his wings then turned to look at his companions. They’d all been exploring together and while Star normally preferred to explore while flying his two companions were land bound and so he was keeping his feet on the ground to be polite. His wings were itching to catch some wind and stretching them out was probably the best he’d be able to do to scratch that itch for the rest of the day.

The forest they’d approached was dense and dark. An old growth where the trees themselves had long since settled in and stretched up to hog the light, but also the floor was thick with plants that thrived in these darker conditions. Not a place he would have normally wanted to explore on his own, but also not a place he really fancied being alone in. Despite being the largest of the group and the one with the most natural defences he was likely also the most cowardly. He was used to being the baby of his family and used to living somewhere safe and protected. He’d never once in his life had to fight for anything and he doubted he’d put up any real fight if a situation came up where he’d need too. He’d probably just fly away. That’s probably why the forest seemed so dangerous. There would be no flying in there.

“Well,” he said to his companions, “this is it. You’re sure this is the forest with the honey that traveller was raving about?”  

[one over three]

“Fairly sure,” Ruche mumbled, head held low as the tentacles that decorated his head threatened to hold his mouth shut. “The directions they gave weren’t terribly good but I looked around a bit and this area is really the closest match to what they described. Once we’re inside, we just need to look for a clearing with a lot of flowers. The smell is supposed to be strong enough for us to detect it from a fair distance away.”

The smallest of the three, Ruche was carrying a set of clay jars and a basket. His regular duty in the herd was to collect honey. The bees didn’t seem to mind his presence too much, most of the time, and handling the delicate hive boxes was a task where his tentacles rarely caused trouble. Most other things he tried to do they would act up and cause trouble for him. But honey collection? Honey collection was something they helped him do without setting a single sucker out of place. Perhaps they’d been stung one too many times in the early days.

He sighed as the tentacles released their grip on his muzzle, “Ideally we’ll track down both the clearing and the hives. I would like to at least collect some of the flowers from the clearing. If we can grow them back home we may be able to cultivate the same variety of honey. Then we’ll be able to use it without having to trek all this way to collect it.”  

[one over three]

Ranger brought up the rear. He knew Stargazer quite well, but Ruche was a bit of an oddball who kept to himself which wasn’t hard because most of the herd seemed to keep away from him in return. The small stallion made him nervous but he did his best to push the feeling out of his mind. The kid had never done anything to him and there was really no solid reason to treat him any differently than any of the others.

“That seems sensible enough,” he said, scanning the tree line for any signs of life. The forest looked like it was the kind of place that would turn out to be haunted. Physical threats he could deal with just fine. Ghosts? Ghosts were another story. The sturdy guard flicked his ear as if chasing off a fly, then looked back at his two companions. He understood why Ruche had asked Stargazer along. If you didn’t know any better the kid looked a bit scary. His back sported scales and he had several horns on both his face and legs. Really though, Star was a bit of a push over and Ranger really wished that Ruche had asked along one of the other guards. Someone who had some actual combat experience.

Back on herd lands it hadn’t seemed like a big deal at all. What possible danger would they encounter? Standing next to the forest it’s self was a different story though. His back bristled as he looked into the darkness again.  

[one over three]

Enoch rarely ventured out of the depths of his forest. There was rarely reason too. His little companion could easily find enough to eat deep in the woods, and he never had any trouble either. Today though, the little pronghorn was feeling ill and he’d sent Enoch to collect some herbs that lay at the edge of the forest.

And maybe a snack while he was at it. Enoch was certain the little pronghorn wouldn’t complain if he returned with both the requested herbs and a snack.

Hearing a noise that seemed to come from outside the forest he hesitated, then moved behind one of the larger trees to listen closely. His large, soft paws helping to mask the sounds of his feet on the forest floor. There were voices coming from the other side of the tree line. One… two… three in all. He couldn’t quite make out what any of them were saying, but it sounded like they were talking about flowers. Could they be after the same herbs he was? His mouth pulled back into a snarl as he edged one of his less luminous eyes around the edge of the tree to take a peak.

They were difficult to make out through all the underbrush but they seemed to be talking about the containers one of the three carried strapped to his back. Some goods? Something for his most precious little friend, perhaps? He grinned to himself, snarl fading. He’d find the herb first, then see what he could do with these visitors.